Credential Creep

By BURTON BOLLAG

Professional doctorates, which take less time than the Ph.D.,
are spreading fast — as are concerns about their uneven
quality

When Brenda M. Coppard was studying occupational therapy in the
late 1980s, a bachelor's degree was the standard ticket to enter
the profession. By the 1990s, a master's degree was expected. Today
a doctorate is becoming the norm.

Ms. Coppard is one of those who has pushed for more advanced
degrees. In 1999 the associate professor of